


Starting Points

by gateship



Series: Avengers Assemble [21]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers Tower, Bruce has a fully outfitted lab even if it isn't mentioned in the story, Darcy has an identity crisis about her job, F/M, Gen, SHIELD and the Avengers run on coffee, Tony likes to throw money around when it comes to people he likes, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 19:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11698383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gateship/pseuds/gateship
Summary: The Avengers and support teams finally get to move into the Avengers Tower -- but only when it comes to the labs and offices. Still, when Tony Stark decides to do something, he does it to impress.





	Starting Points

**Author's Note:**

> I’m using a combination of the Tower from the film and the Tower from the comics regarding its location and height. It’s at the site of the Conde Naste building in Manhattan, has a 35 story South Building, 55 story North Building, and a 93 Main Tower. According to Wikipedia it’s also 10 blocks North of the Baxter building, which I just find amusing that Reed and Tony are so close to one another.

The day the Avengers labs, offices, and support floors were officially open for everyone to move into, Tony had demanded everyone be there at 9 AM for the “unveiling.” Which, honestly wasn’t so much of an unveiling. Both Porter and Sokolof had already been in their respective office areas to oversee things and Phil had overseen most of the rest of the developments. Regardless, everyone had gathered in the Avengers only parking lot underneath the Tower to wait for Tony to actually let them up into the building.

“While I’m excited to see the labs and all, I would much rather be upstairs right now,” Jane said. She yawned. “Or asleep.”

“How was the eclipse?” Sokolof asked. “I heard Stark flew you and Prince Thor out to see it.”

“Initially we were supposed to go to Shanghai to see it, but I’m glad we didn’t,” Jane said. “There were clouds the whole time. It was amazing though. I never thought I’d be able to see something like that in person unless it happened near where I was working. I am thoroughly exhausted from the travel and different time zones though.”

“Elevator’s moving,” Carolyn piped up.

Only a few moments later the elevator door opened and Tony smiled broadly at them all. “Welcome to the Avengers Tower.”

“More like ‘Welcome to the parking garage’ so far,” someone muttered.

“Can we hurry this up, Mr. Stark?” Sokolof asked dryly. “Some of us have to actually do work today.”

“Come in, come in,” Tony said, moving to the side. “The two elevators down here are both freight elevators, but there's also access to the upper floors from the main lobby area. ID is required for that, just as entry to the garage is."

“Stark, we’ve all seen the specs,” Natasha said. “Just show us the space already.”

Tony actually pouted at that, but refrained from telling them any more information that they were already aware of. When they did eventually reach the 59th floor of the building the elevator doors didn’t immediately open. “We’ll work on getting every security access today. As you all know,” he said, pointedly looking at Natasha, “only people with proper clearance are allowed here and that clearance level shrinks the higher up you go.”

The doors opened to reveal a decently sized lobby area with an empty reception desk set in the middle of the space. Along the right wall of the space there was an elevator bank with three gleaming chrome doors. Surprisingly they all had what seemed to be labels on them.

**GARAGE TO RESIDENTIAL**

**OFFICES TO RESIDENTIAL**

**FIRST FLOOR LOBBY TO OFFICES**

There were two hallways branching off on either side of the reception desk. Again, they were surprisingly labelled  **LEGAL TEAM** on the right and  **PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM**  on the left.

“Pepper said we had to label everything until everyone gets used to it,” Tony said. “Go, see your offices or stay for the tour of the labs and Avengers HQ.”

“I’ll be up later, Jane,” Darcy said as she and the PR and Legal team members got off of the elevator and headed to their respective hallways.

 

After Tony had shown them the impressive Avengers briefing room and main areas the group dispersed to look at their own lab spaces or search out other areas on the open floors. Phil, Carolyn, and Clint had wandered off down the hall to his own office at the back of the floor while everyone else headed towards the elevators to the lab and training floors.

There were nine floors of lab space, all with a variety of things in them, but there was dedicated space for everyone. There had been some changes to the layout since the initial blueprints had been emailed out, but really it had just been the relocation of Jan’s space from a separate floor to the same floor as Hank’s lab space.

Hank had made a beeline for his lab, but Jan had only popped her head into his briefly before going to find her own. She’d have plenty of time to find out what was in the lab when she ultimately had to drag him out of it at 3AM or so. She was more impatient to see what her own space looked like.

The space was, quite simply put, breathtaking. It was south facing, so she’d have plenty of light all day and had wonderful views of Manhattan. Half of the space looked like an actual lab space and the other half looked like it was going to be perfect for sketching. There was a set up with a drafting table, lab benches and stools, and a computer set up for digital work.

There was a corner set up for sewing and one section of wall covered in floor to 8-foot ceiling clear bins and drawers of various sized that were just waiting to be filled.

Jesus. This was better than anything she could have imagined.

She was spinning in a circle slowly, hands clapped over her mouth, trying to take it all in when Hank walked into the room. “Jan – oh wow. This is amazing.”

“I don’t – I can’t even begin to – this is beyond what I could have imagined,” Jan said, facing Hank. “Look at it, just – what’s yours like?”

“It’s everything I could want. And there’s even space for my lab,” Hank said. “I mean, he labelled it ‘home for the shrinky dink’ but it’s a spot for my lab.”

“I’m so glad I convinced you to do this,” Jan said. “You may have to tear me out rather than the other way around.” Ideas for a thousand projects ran through her mind at once. She should make something for Tony to thank him, something for Pepper to thank her, and oh! Sue Richards had a birthday party / surprise baby shower coming up in a few weeks. She could make some baby clothes, or a quilt, or … She paused and eyed what honestly looked like a Mass Spectrometer on the other side of the room. “Do you think Thor will bring me some materials from Asgard to play with?”

 

One floor up from Jan and Hank, Jane was staring at her own lab in shock and amazement. She seriously hoped Tony hadn’t paid out of pocket outfitting the lab floors. There was a lot of expensive equipment in her lab alone. One entire wall was large monitors currently running through screen savers of different photos from the Hubble telescope.

As she looked around the room she noticed a couch pushed into a corner covered in pillows that seemed like a bit of an afterthought. There was a piece of paper taped to the back cushions that said ‘Darcy's and Thor’s couch’ in Tony’s handwriting.

“Are you pleased with your space?” Thor asked from where he stood in the doorway.

“It’s amazing,” Jane said. She moved towards the table in the center of the room and realized it was a computer terminal touch screen. When she touched the screen the screen saver disappeared and a 3D holographic projection of the Avengers logo appeared about six inches above the screen and rotated around. She hesitantly reached out towards it and gasped as it dissolved down into the screen that read “ **Welcome Doctor Foster**.” She looked over at Thor. “Tony Stark has figured out functioning holo tech and hasn’t shared it with the masses yet.” She signed and shook her head.

“Asgard has technology similar, but more advanced,” Thor said.

“I’d love to see it,” Jane said, looking back at the monitor. She missed his pensive look and slight frown.

 

“Stark wasn’t kidding when he said the offices upstairs were empty,” Clint said as he bounced down the stairs between the two Avengers HQ floors. He headed through Phil’s open office door and sat down in the chair not occupied by Carolyn.

“Then you get to choose your own,” Phil said. His office was admittedly pretty empty as well, but there was actually a plaque outside that read: “ **Phil Coulson: Supernanny** ” that had clearly been a Tony Stark touch.

“Where are Steve and Natasha at?” Carolyn asked from where she was lying down on the couch against one wall.

“Steve’s testing out the weight machines upstairs. Apparently the gym’s pretty sick. Not that he said that,” Clint said. “Natasha found a barre, which is bad news for all of us I feel. You feeling okay?”

“I feel that step right before you throw up,” she said. “I’m not nauseous enough to actually throw up though.”

“Why exactly is morning sickness referred to as morning sickness?” Clint asked.

“It is the great mystery of our age,” Carolyn said. “What else is upstairs?”

“There’s a couple either dance or yoga rooms upstairs that are basically just empty spaces with wood floors and a couple of walls of mirrors,” Clint said, reading off of his phone. “There’s a huge room of your basic gym stuff, which is what Steve’s testing out now. There is a kitchen space upstairs right above the lobby here.”

"Well, I'm ditching my gym membership then," Carolyn said. 

"When was the last time you actually went to the gym?" Phil asked.

"Before aliens attacked New York. And I tried, but they were like, 'We don't train pregnant women,' so I don't like them anyways."

 

There were a variety of tasks she was supposed to be doing, all of them of varying levels of importance. She wasn’t doing any of them, but was instead staring somewhat dazedly around the room.

The room being her very own office. The one that she didn’t know she was going to get. Genuinely she had no idea that she was going to be getting an office. She’d thought there was a cubicle in her future, not a legit room with a door and everything.

It was an empty space because, hey, new space, but it was  _her_ space. Her phone chimed, startling her slightly.

_How are the offices?_

Rather than replying to Jane’s text, Darcy called her and blurted out, “I have my own office,” as soon as Jane answered.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I have an office,” Darcy said. “I’m sitting in an office. My office. Why does anyone think that I need an office? All I do is check Twitter and YouTube and Livejournal and Tumblr and Facebook.”

“Give me five minutes,” Jane said and hung up.

In the five minutes that it took Jane to get to Darcy’s office, Darcy had only managed to turn the computer on and was staring blankly at the desktop background of some sort of Avengers logo thing. Darcy jumped slightly when Jane opened the door to the office and barged in, Thor following slightly behind.

“Okay, you sounded panicky,” Jane said, but she trailed off at the end and looked around the room. “You do have an office.”

“I have windows,” Darcy said faintly.

“Yes, you do,” Jane said. She sat down in one of the chairs that faced the desk and Thor sat down in the other one. “They’re very nice windows. Great views of Manhattan. Need some blinds though.”

“Why do I have an office?” Darcy asked. “I have an MA in political science, a BA in political science, and a minor in history.”

“You’re in charge of the social media stuff though,” Jane said. “You should have an office.” She frowned. “And a team.”

Darcy made a strangled sounding noise and dropped her head on the desk. “Oh god. Don’t talk to me about having a team of people I’m in charge of. I’m 24 years old. I’m not an adult and I – I’m not qualified for this.”

“I thought you already had your panic about the job,” Jane said.

“You do deserve this,” Thor said. “You are a valuable member of the team. Though you may be young yet in years, you are wise beyond your years.”

“I have an office and Thor sounds like an inspirational fortune cookie,” Darcy groaned.

“Do you want to go sneak upstairs to see how your bedroom and bathroom are shaping up?”

“Yes please,” Darcy said weakly.

 

When the elevator stopped at the first of the Avengers HQ floors, Jane and Darcy exchanged a glance. Were they about to get busted? They hadn’t seen Tony since he let them loose after the tour. The doors opened and instead of Tony, revealed Phil, Carolyn, and Clint.

“Oh, you going to sneak upstairs too?” Clint asked.

“Should we pick up Jan and Hank?” Jane asked.

“Well, where’s Tony?” Darcy asked. “We’re not supposed to be upstairs and I can imagine Tony standing in front of the doors of the first floor we try when they open. I’d say he’d pull a Gandalf ‘You shall not pass’ but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t get that reference.”

“I say we risk it,” Carolyn said. “Let’s get Jan and Hank. I want to see my kitchen.”

“I want to see her kitchen too,” Clint said as the three stepped onto the elevator. “I’ve got to stake my claim on a prime spot now.”

“You have your own goddam kitchen,” Carolyn said, pressing the button for the 63rd floor where Jan and Hank’s lab spaces were.

“Nat wants to know where we are,” Clint said. “I’m telling her.”

“I want to see the pool,” Darcy said. “That space is going to be fuh-reezing during winter.”

Steve and Natasha caught up with them only a couple moments after they hit the 63rd floor. “We’re going to sneak upstairs?” Natasha asked.

“Pretty sure Tony’s going to find out,” Steve said.

“I want my kitchen. Pepper’s been sending me tease pictures,” Carolyn said.

They found Hank’s lab first, but he wasn’t there. Jane made some interested noises at the tech in the room, but they headed for Jan’s space. When they got closer they heard Tony’s voice.  

“ – glad you like it. I figured you’d need space for your textile engineering.”

“It’s just so amazing. Like seriously. This is more than I could have possibly imagined,” Jan said. “Thank you so, so much.”

“Forget the sneaking,” Carolyn said and marched into Jan’s lab. “I feel terrible and I want to see my kitchen to make myself feel better.”

“You can’t see it yet,” Tony said as the others followed into the room.

“Oh wow,” Darcy said. “This is great.”

“Isn’t it just?” Jan asked. “I can’t even put it into words how much I love it. I’ve got so many ideas. I’m going to get Sue in here and see what invisible stuff I can make her and I’m going to get Johnny and see what fire proof stuff I can make him. Do you think making Sue and Reed a baby blanket is too forward?

“Do you think you’ll finish it before the birthday surprise baby shower party?” Natasha asked.

“I want a baby blanket,” Carolyn said petulantly.

“You don’t need a – do you need a baby blanket?” Jan asked. Carolyn looked to the side sheepishly while Phil sighed.

“That was such a wonderful way to announce a pregnancy,” he said.

“I’m eleven weeks,” Carolyn said.

“I already knew,” Tony said smugly.

“That’s because I called Pepper and told her first,” Carolyn said.

“You told your sister first?” Clint asked.

“Of course she told her sister first,” Phil said.

“Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl yet? Do you want a gender-neutral blanket? Do you have a theme for the nursery yet?”

“Congratulations,” Jane said. “You’re due when, February?”

“Jan, I’m pretty sure the nursery is an empty box right now but I don’t know since Tony won’t let me up onto the floor with my goddam kitchen,” Carolyn said. “But yeah, I’m due February 8. Looks like that stress induced nausea during the Chitauri invasion was more like pregnancy induced nausea. And no, don’t know what it is yet. It’s too early. Now do I get to go see my kitchen or what?”

“I want to see my room and I want to see the pool,” Darcy said. Jane glanced over at her and Darcy did seem to have wide eyed, slightly panicky look.

“I know they’re under construction, but  _can_ we see them?” Jan asked.

“I’ll throw up on you if you don’t let me,” Carolyn said.

Tony looked disgusted. “Fine. Your floors and the pool only. You’re not impressed with the labs?” He did look personally offended.

“I am super impressed with my lab,” Jan said. “Do you want clothes? Something for the suit? I’m gonna make you something.”

“My lab is great,” Jane said. “There are far too many computer screens though. I don’t think a wall of them is necessary.”

“Hey, I got you access to all the best telescopes on the planet. And all the best cosmic radiation scanners,” Tony said.

“Wait, you what?” Jane asked, somewhat stunned.

“How are you supposed to do your research if you don’t have any data?” Tony asked.

“I have an office,” Darcy blurted. “It’s making me anxious.”

“Because you have an office?” Tony asked.

“Why do I have an office?” Darcy asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

“Because you’re in charge of monitoring our social media presence?” Jan said. “And you’ll possibly be in charge of it too. Do you have a team?”

“I think I’m having an existential crisis,” Darcy said faintly.

“Okay,” Jane said, taking Darcy’s arm. “Let’s go see the pool.”

 

“This is awesome,” Jan said, surveying the pool deck. “I get that you said this is a legitimate architectural thing, but this is really awesome.”

“Did she really not think she was getting an office?” Tony asked, gesturing slightly at Darcy. She was sitting on one of the lounge chairs with Thor and Jane.

“Apparently not,” Jan said. She looked out over the Manhattan skyline below them. (Jesus this was a tall building.) “I’m really digging all the glass. It’s going to be freezing in the fall and winter though.”

“It’s heated,” Tony shrugged. "Pool too."

“It’s heated!” Clint yelped from across the pool deck, head popping up from behind the raised hot tub. “This is my new home. I’m just going to sleep here and eat in Carolyn’s kitchen.”

“You have your own stupid kitchen on your own stupid floor,” Carolyn said. “And besides, I’m the one that’s going to have the back pain from being pregnant. That hot tub’s mine.”

“Can pregnant people go in a hot tub?” Tony asked. “I feel like you’ll be cooking the baby.”

“Why exactly does the pool need to be heated?” Steve asked. “Why is that a possibility?”

“Because the higher up you go the colder it gets,” Tony explained gently, causing Steve to frown at him

“It’s because he’s rich,” Jan said. “And we’re going to benefit from it so don’t worry about it.”

**Author's Note:**

> At the beginning of the story, Jane's referencing an actual solar eclipse that happened in 2009.  
> This story also went a lot of places I hadn't planned on it going, because it had a mind of its own.


End file.
